'living the dream'

Scotland and England are both part of the UK, right? So what's the difference? The difference is plaid covered seats on the double-deckers.



On Friday we walked up the Royal Mile, literally up, to the castle of Edinburgh. Along the cobblestone street are shops selling everything from plaid viking hats to whiskey fudge.


We didn't actually go in the castle but we stopped to admire the view of the city and surrounding mountains.


On the way back for lunch we spotted a deal - any freshly baked baguette filled to your hearts desire for just one pound - one day only. We promptly forgot our plans for sandwiches at home and went straight in. Finishing an entire baguette was difficult, but it tasted like victory. On the way to the train station we stopped and got another, and were recognized.


In Glasgow Katie and I scoped out the Glasgow School of Art by Charles Rennie Mackintosh, which were learned about together in out architecture course sophomore year. We sneaked in for just a minute, but mostly just admired the outside. The building is built into a hill, one of the many in Glasgow, and although it is quite small has produced many famous contemporary artists.


We also stopped by the GoMA which is housed in a neoclassical building that seems almost like a church on the interior - it is a beautiful yet unlikely place to find modern art.


We also saw some very interesting street performers on the main shopping strip - bagpipes, violins, and guitar galore. These guys worked the street for no less than three hours with the same impressive routine.


A little ice cream and a smoothie to warm us up!


Back in Edinburgh we walked up Calton Hill for a view of the city. We accidentally discovered the grave of David Hume while we were up there.


In the distance is Arthur's Seat, as seen from Calton Hill.


The 'ruins' are left from a project that entailed the creation of a necropolis but money ran out before it was finished.


A view from the train on my way back to London - East Coast Railways certainly live up to their name.

If you want to see more pictures, my complete album is here.